"Suave, punching, a pleasure to hear," writes the LATimes of the music on this album, which has already been vetted by delighted audiences at sold-out live performances by MacFarlane and his all-star orchestra. The singer's goal of emulating the impeccable phrasing and sound of the Sinatra era was accomplished by singing live in the same studio as Sinatra at Capitol (with his original microphone) and recording to analog tape, to match the warm sound of that era. In addition to duets with Norah Jones ("Two Sleepy People") and Sara Bareilles ("Love Won't Let You Get Away"), the lineup includes "It's Easy to Remember (But So Hard to Forget)," "You're the Cream in My Coffee," "Laura," "The Night They Invented Champagne," and Rodgers & Hammerstein's exquisite "Something Good," written for the film version of The Sound of Music.

"MacFarlane uses his canny vibrato and crackerjack phrasing to imbue these Tin Pan Alley deep cuts ('The Sadder but Wiser Girl' from The Music Man) with scholarly aplomb.'—Spin

"Even the musical theater buffs among us may have to do some Googling to find out or remember where the sublime 'Nine O'Clock' comes from (answer: the little-remembered 1959 Broadway musical 'Take Me Along'). MacFarlane is the rare revivalist who knows that the Great American Songbook is more than 100 pages thick, and it's his willingness to look deeper into the catalog that gives 'Music is Better Than Words' its kick."—Reuters